A video clip of an Argentine journalist residing in Spain describing his relationship with his country's star, Lionel Messi, and his influence on him since he was a young child sparked wide interaction across the platforms, and even Messi himself was affected to the point of crying, as he expressed in his message to the journalist.
Argentine journalist Hernan Casciari had spoken on his radio program about Messi's great impact on expatriates and immigrants in Spain, and the extent of their attachment to him since he moved to Barcelona and began appearing with them in 2003.
Casciari began his speech: “I remember on a Saturday morning in the year 2003, and Catalonia TV was broadcasting the matches of the age groups for Barcelona live, and in my conversation with Argentine immigrants in Catalonia, he was asking two questions: The first is how can we make dulce de leche (Argentine dessert) by Condensed milk, and the second is what time does the 15-year-old from Rosario who scores goals in every game play?"
Messi does not speak much
He added, “At that time, the rate of viewership on Catalan TV on Saturday morning was much higher than at night and many people started talking about this boy, in the barbershop and the stands of the Camp Nou, the only one who was not speaking was Messi, and in his interviews after the matches, it was All his answers to questions are 'yes' or 'no' and sometimes he says 'thank you' and then looks down and doesn't say much."
📹 The first video meeting with the humble child Lionel Messi 🐐pic.twitter.com/tzSi7yDRmm
— 90+ (@90PlusKora) August 16, 2022
Casciari praised Messi's insistence at the time on speaking the local Argentine dialect instead of trying to imitate the Catalan dialect, which brought him closer to the hearts of immigrants, which Casciari expressed, saying: "We felt great relief because this boy is one of us, he is one of those who preserved their accent."
And he went on to talk about immigrants' admiration for Messi's continued retention of that dialect even after he became Barcelona's first star, and how they continued to follow him during press interviews with interest, to ensure that he used their dialect despite the difficulty of preserving the original dialect among the new society, but it is also part of identity and a way to preserve indigenous habits.
Casicari expressed this, saying: “The dialect was our last trench to preserve our habits and the way we spoke, and Messi was an incredibly leader in that battle. We were celebrating when we saw mate (a popular drink in Argentina) in the dressing room. Messi, who became the most famous person in Barcelona, was like us.” He did not stop being an Argentinean expatriate in another country."
He added, "It is difficult to explain the amount of happiness he made for those who lived far from home and how he got us out of the boredom of a monotonous society. Messi helped us not to lose our compass and orientation and made us happy."
Casicari referred to the period during which Messi suffered from the criticism of the Argentine people after repeated defeats with the national team, and how he was chased by looks of contempt there.
He commented: “I cannot think of a nightmare that could be more terrifying than hearing voices of contempt come from people in the place you love most in the world. There is no pain more than hearing a phrase like the one Messi heard from his son Thiago: “Father, why do they kill you in Argentina?”
Watch Messi celebrate with his children after winning the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ #Qatar2022 |
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- beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) December 18, 2022
Messi from retirement to the World Cup title
Cassicari told the story of Messi's international retirement in 2016 when he decided to retire internationally, and messages flooded him asking him to return from retirement, one of which was from a 15-year-old asking him to continue with the national team to enjoy football and not listen to criticism, a message that made him with hundreds of other messages. He retracts his decisions and returns to the tango ranks, a message that later turned out to have been written by Enzo Fernandez, the best young player in the Qatar World Cup who accompanied Messi on the journey to achieving the World Cup.
Finally Messi accepts the World Cup ❤️🏆
A moment Argentina fans have been waiting for since 1986 🇦🇷 #Qatar2022 |
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He also talked about the great joy that prevailed among the Argentine people and immigrants in particular after Messi won the World Cup, as they considered it a victory for them, and a victory for the young boy who preserved his identity and theirs, and everyone rejoiced for him, because finally there is a simple person on top of the world, as he put it.
Cassicari concluded his speech: "On December 20, as is the case every year, we watched Messi return from Europe to spend the Christmas holidays with his family in Rosario, as always, and to say hello to his neighbors, as always, his traditions do not change and the only thing that has changed is that these This time he brought us the World Cup in his bag.
Summary of the final match Argentina and France |
Lionel Messi's Argentina wins the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ #Qatar2022 |
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- beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) December 18, 2022
These words received wide attention from the pioneers of the platforms, and thousands shared them, expressing their impact on the strong relationship that Messi established with expatriates from his country without knowing.
The clip spread until it reached Messi himself, who listened to him with his wife Antonella, and they were so affected by what Kasekari said that they cried.
Messi sent a message to the radio program expressing his thanks to them for sharing that story, and he paid tribute to Kasekari for his wonderful message that affected him.